Will Season 8 be the end of “Game of Thrones”?

The latest season of Game of Thrones left fans wanting more, yet rumor has it the HBO series will reach only eight seasons. Image Credit: Value Talk

This Monday, August 1, marked the 20th anniversary of “A Game of Thrones” the first volume of the critically acclaimed epic fantasy series of novels “A Song of Ice and Fire” by George R.R. Martin.

Coincidentally, Casey Bloys, chief of programming at HBO, announced the day before during a press conference for the Television Critics Association that the beloved show would indeed end its run after season eight goes live in 2018.

However, the HBO spokesman also stated that while the main story will be over after its eight seasons, the broadcasting giant was open to the idea of developing a spin-off series.

Bloys said that “it’s not something I’m opposed to, but of course, it has to make sense creatively.” He further added that “there’s no concrete plan or anything at this point.”

His comments provided just enough material for fans to go wild with speculation, as it is customary in the Game of Thrones online community.

20 Years of “Game of Thrones”

Since its release, the saga was well received among fantasy readers and critics alike, although admittedly it failed to gain traction with mainstream audiences back in the day. However, things changed in a twist of fate 15 years later, when the TV series adaptation premiered on HBO back in 2011.

Spearheaded by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, the series titled just “Game of Thrones” became an instant hit with a massive cult following. The show was like nothing aired before on HBO, the cable network mogul responsible for acclaimed dramas like “The Sopranos” and “The Wire”.

Much like the source material, the TV adaptation was the object of much praise for its intertwined narrative. “Game of Thrones” follows several storylines involving a massive cast that drive the plot further in a free-for-all battle for the Iron Throne.

Set in the fictional continents Westeros and Essos, the series stars an ever-changing cast among which are Kit Harrington, Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke and Alphie Allen.

The sixth season finished airing in late June 2016, and it was a notable achievement for the production team. As it not only drew slowly from the last books published “A Feast for Crows” and “A Dance with Dragons”, but also contained original content based on early material from the yet unreleased volume “The Winds of Winter”.

Will Westeros be back on the small screen or the big screen?

The fate of “Game of Thrones” is sealed, but a potential future spin-off opens a whole new world of possibilities.

While most fans would argue that they would like to see a spin-off series following their favorite characters, the most logic line of action would be to go straight to the source material. And thank the old gods and the new there is plenty.

“The Tales of Dunk and Egg” is a series of three novellas penned by G.R.R. Martin that features Ser Duncan the Tall and the man who would be king, Aegon Targaryen, as his squire almost a century before the events of “Game of Thrones”.

Previous rumors hinted at a series finale released as a film instead of a regular TV episode, but with the shortening of season 7 and the pending publishing of “The Winds of Winter,” these rumors remain unfounded.

The opposite goes for the potential future side-series, as speculation runs wild on the internet about the franchise’s latest venture. “Game of Thrones” will return in the summer of 2017 with a limited released of just seven episodes.